Happy Holidays - Glitter & Glitz

Hi all, a bit of seasonal sewing today!

In between making Christmas gifts I managed to sneak in a couple of selfish-sews, mainly because I became an absolute magpie for glittery fabric...

I really wanted to make a strappy party dress - but realised I don't actually have anywhere to go that requires one. There's the whole #sewfrosting thing going on at the moment so I guess it could have been part of that, however it seemed like a waste of time (for me).

After searching high and low for a cami/vest top pattern, the ol' faithful Ogden Cami worked perfectly fine! It's a pattern for wovens so I think I overlooked it initially.

I found this incredibly glitzy jersey on MinervaCrafts - its so difficult to show in a photo how sparkly it is in real life!


The fabric was a tad see-through so the cami is fully lined with a stretch knit lining  - essentially I just cut the front and back pieces out of both fabrics. The lining was surprisingly easy to work with as it had a decent weight to it. I was expecting to have to wrestle with it but no...

I wanted my Ogden a bit longer so added a few extra inches to the length - I must have had a mulled wine at this point as I added so many inches that I ended up inadvertently making a glittery dress anyway!


It's lovely but it wouldn't get worn - so it got the chop into a much more practical and 'me' kind of a top. Thankfully there's a load of the fabric left in case I want to make another dress next year - the Ogden takes up so little fabric!!!

I still think I need to cut an inch or 2 from it...its tucked in my jeans for the picture!


Not only is this a stretch Ogden, which I will absolutely be doing again for summer as its ridiculously comfortable, but I tried a new construction technique. WhatKatieSews has a fab way of making these tops and personally I feel its so much easier than faffing about with the straps in the original instructions.  Essentially you sew the front and back necklines with straps attached inside and leave all the side seams until last. You then whizz up and down the sides, main and lining, in one go. This top took all of an hour to make. Definitely recommend giving this method a try! The only thing I'd do differently with jersey is to interface the straps. I have a feeling they may stretch out after time.



Next up - and for absolutely no apparent reason - I whipped up some 'ponte party pants'. Using my self-drafted pull-on trouser pattern these also came together in a lunch break. I did have to add a few inches on as the Goose is not the only thing getting fat for Christmas....

Again the fabric is from MinervaCrafts (this is not a sponsored post btw I just went nuts on their site) and its a lurex ponte! (Ponte being hands down my favourite fabric to work with). I think this is going to be my Christmas day outfit. Definitely a comfort over style decision here.

Jumper is from Sainsburys
Next time I make these trousers (if there's a next time) I will do a knobbly knee adjustment, as I THINK that's why I get creases there. If anyone is a fitting genius please do put me right! x Difficult to photograph lurex aswell but needless to say these are some jazzy legs.

Right, that's me signing off for the holidays now - I'm not a religious type but I am a big fan of spending time with those you love.  Wishing everyone a wonderful time whatever you may be doing! And good tidings from the OG Clyde himself and his pals....!


Feel free to comment and come and say hello on InstagramFacebookTwitterPinterest and Bloglovin too xx


Secret Sewing 2018

Buenos Dias people.

It's that time of year again when all goes a bit quiet on the blog and 'secret sewing' occurs in the background!

That's right, me and a million other crafters who have left it well too late, are beavering away at Christmas presents, all made with love of course.


I'm fairly chuffed with myself this year as I've managed to come up with some quite unusual presents, that will also be useful (and not all sewn I might add!). I also don't make presents for people who don't really like that sort of thing, they aren't 'inflicted' upon anyone. No-one's getting pasta and glue pictures to put on their fridge and politely smile at. Us crafters can see that fear in your eyes. 

The pressies will of course be wrapped with this ribbon which is absolutely amazing - I picked this up in Tiger while I was looking for a turtle tree decoration (obviously). Perfect for all those handmade goodies this year! 

What a boring post this is then I can't show much really can I!?

Maybe this... for the dog lover who also enjoys a good nap.


In other news I also discovered the joys of Moon Thread - super cheap and really good quality thread for jazzy over-locking. There shall be many a multicolour finished edge in my future...
 In other news - I aim to make the full donation to Mind Charity at the end of the month for my mental health Sewing Saves Lives pin project, if you would like to grab a pin in time for crimbo just click here!

Lovely photo taken by SewPositivity - much better light than mine hehe!

So the next few weeks bring several Sundays of secret sewing, with some sparkles and glitter thrown in for good measure - you gotta have a festive bit of clothing somewhere right?!

Let me know what you've been making :) Feel free to comment and come and say hello on InstagramFacebookTwitterPinterest and Bloglovin too xx